How to make simple, low-cost, quick Christmas decorations that look like Pottery Barn!

I am SO excited to share with you all some holiday projects that I have made to decorate my apartment this year! I love Pottery Barn's decorations and this year they were absolutely fabulous. BUT, since I am a poor graduate student I can't exactly afford to pay six dollars for one ornament...I made them myself! Since my apartment is a non-denominational holiday household I decided to ditch the red, green, and Santa's and EMBRACE THE CHRISMUKKAH! (One of my roommates will be putting up her menorah soon and I am so excited to light it! Ooo and eat chocolate coins.) I went with a color scheme of purples and silver also because I mooched half of the decor and crafting materials from my mom whose favorite color is purple.

I was first inspired to craft after seeing this BEAUTIFUL peace sign tree in Pottery Barn's catalog. I then looked at the $6.00 price tag for one sparkly ornament and got out my exacto-knife. Here are the step by step instructions for how I made my own peace sign tree! (Since I had most of the materials already I am not sure exactly how much it might cost but I would imagine if you spent about ten dollars on materials you could use them for all kinds of other projects!)

Peace Sign Ornaments

Approximate Time: 15 minutes (with drying time, etc.)

What You Need:

-1 Can of Silver Spray Paint

-1 Jar of Glitter (I used clear whitish glitter because if you use colored card stock of the color you want the color will show through and you don't even have to paint them!)

-1 Thick Piece of Cardboard (You don't want to cut your counter)

-Exacto-Knife

-Paint Brush

-Glue (I used Tacky Glue but Elmer's or spray glue would work fine)

-Pieces of Card Stock

-A Computer

-A Printer

-Painter's Tape (Or whatever tape, I just used this because it is what I had)

2. Tape the template on top of a couple of pieces of card stock. I did three pieces at a time, any thicker would have given me tennis elbow.

3. Tape the edges of the card stock together so they don't slip while you are cutting.

4. Start cutting from the inside-out along the lines of the peace sign.

5. Use Scissors to cut around the circle, I swear it is easier than the knife.

6. Punch a hole at the top where you will want the peace sign to hang from.

7. Set out the peace signs on the newspaper in a well ventilated area unless you are attempting to have a VERY merry Christmas.

8. Spray the peace signs on the front and back, they will take about two minutes to dry unless you drown them in paint.

9. Paint one side of the peace sign with glue with the brush. Sprinkle with glitter to your heart's desire.

10. Once dry, you can do the other side, leave it silver, or even try another color glitter on the other side! (If you are super anal about your crafts...unlike me...you can glue pieces of a coffee stirrer sprayed silver or a popsicle stick sprayed silver to make sure the peace sign stays straight and has some weight to it. I may do this eventually but I am impatient and wanted my pretty tree to be decorated!) Attach your ribbon and you are done!

*I also made teensy tiny peace signs without holes to just stick in the tree! I love them and they are too cute!

VOILA! Here is the finished product! I am obsessed!

The next project that I decided to do was make metallic sparkle pine cones. The pine cones in Pottery Barn are eight dollars.....uhhmm no. I headed out in my parent's backyard with a flashlight (because I got the holiday crafting itch after sundown of course) and gathered all the pine cones I could find.

Metallic Pine Cones

Approximate Time: Five minutes (longer if your pine cone gathering expedition is more difficult than expected. If so, you can buy them from a craft store for cheaper than eight bucks.)

What You Need:

-1 Can of Spray Paint (I did silver again)

-Spray Glue (Usually comes in an aerosol)

-Glitter

-Pine Cones

-Newspaper

1. Place the pine cones on the newspaper after you shake them out for critters and dirt.

2. Spray the pine cones with the spray paint. Make sure you turn them and look at them from different angles to ensure they are covered.

3. Spray the cones the same way with the spray glue. Do not use too much, this stuff goes a long way.

4. Sprinkle with glitter.

THAT'S IT!!!

I put mine as the filler in a vase and scattered in my tree but you could put them in a bowl, in the bottom of a poinsettia plant, or any other idea you come up with! Here is the finished product!

I hope you all enjoyed my holiday crafting how-to. Hopefully I will have time to craft more and let you know how it goes! Let me know if you have any questions, here are some other photos of my peace, purple, and silver holiday decor!